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Hey All. Just going to say this once & be done with it. I enjoy putting some effort into what I put in this thread. I like the figures, stats, discussion, theory etc. Trying to guess at what the Steelers will 'do next' by using history as a guide is something I find interesting.

I'm not going to respond to... posters who try to derail the thread. I don't want this thread to degenerate into a pi$$ing match. In fact, I'm going to do something I don't think I've ever done- I'm going to put...a poster.. on ignore. (Done it). So for me, that poster's comments no longer exist. I won't be responding to that poster.

I'm not going to suggest anyone else do that- but now, this thread, when I go back to it, simply glides over that posters ramblings & I never have to see them. It's like they are no longer there.

The result is, I can now go back to concentrating on getting this thread chugging along.

Hey All. Just going to say this once & be done with it. I enjoy putting some effort into what I put in this thread. I like the figures, stats, discussion, theory etc. Trying to guess at what the Steelers will 'do next' by using history as a guide is something I find interesting.

I'm not going to respond to... posters who try to derail the thread. I don't want this thread to degenerate into a pi$$ing match. In fact, I'm going to do something I don't think I've ever done- I'm going to put...a poster.. on ignore. (Done it). So for me, that poster's comments no longer exist. I won't be responding to that poster.

I'm not going to suggest anyone else do that- but now, this thread, when I go back to it, simply glides over that posters ramblings & I never have to see them. It's like they are no longer there.

The result is, I can now go back to concentrating on getting this thread chugging along.

Thanks for the support though, guys.

Most of us enjoy when you carry on a conversation with yourself, it saves us the ignominy of being wrong.

You have broken board rules. Name calling is not acceptable in accordance to board rules. Ad hominem attacks are not permitted here. You can fully expect a warning from the mods due to your non-compliance.

It's almost like "Ad Hominem" is the only word you know. I for one am in agreement with pfelix73.....and the rest of the board......and society.

Next thing we'll do is look at some of the Steelers Free Agents, and what we might expect as far as contract offers coming to them.

Firstly, given that the Salary Cap will experience no significant increase, it is safe to suggest that contract values will not rise dramatically in 2013. Roughly what the #1 CB on the market last year should equate to what the #1 CB on the market this year gets.

Secondly, the Steelers are in no position to sign their FA's before FA begins. This means that each player entering UFA will likely find the value of their services dictated from outside the organisation- or 'market forces'. Praying for 'hometown discounts' might be pie in the sky.

Chadman will use the Walter Football "star ratings" to give a rough estimation, based on last season, on what our FA's might expect to recieve on the market:

WR Mike Wallace (27yo)- The 2 players we can use as a guide for Wallace are probably Desean Jackson & Laurent Robinson. If this was last season, the value of Jackson's contract would likely have been a touch lower than Wallace, but given events of 2012, we'll assume that Jackson is the highest contract area for Wallace, while Robinson the lowest point- based on age & productivity. Robinson signed a 5 year $32.5m contract for a guy that has a significantly thinner portfolio than Wallace, while Jackson signed a 5 year $51m contract. This is more likely the area Wallace will be looking.

Chadman estimate- 5 year $45-$55m

Ramon Foster (27yo)- The best examples for comparison to Foster might be Mike Brisiel who signed with the Raiders & Evan Mathis who re-signed with the Eagles. Both are slightly older than Foster is, so it might be safe to assume he'll be on the higher side of the comparison. Brisiel (who is inferior to Foster) signed a 5 year $20m contract to change teams, Mathis recieved a 5 year $25m to stay put. Expect Foster to get around that mark to switch teams.

Chadman estimate- 5 year $25m

Rashard Mendenhall (26yo)- Mendenhall is a funny one because injury might severely effect his contract numbers. The comparison players from last year will be Seattle's Marshawn Lynch & Chicago's Michael Bush. Lynch (superior to Mendy) got 4 years $32m, while Bush was signed with 4 years $14m. Mendenhall is likely more in the Bush range at this point. That said- he might be best served signing a short deal, proving himself, and looking for a bigger payday later.

Chadman estimate- 3 year $9m

Larry Foote (33yo)- Chadman's comparison for Foote is slightly different, in that the guys we'll compare Foote with are...less successful in FA, James Farrior & Keyaron Fox. Both struggled to garner much interest in FA, and Chadman expects Foote to be in a similar spot.

Chadman estimate- 1 year Vet Min

Max Starks (31yo)- Max will be compared to 2 OT's that sit younger than him in age- Breno Giacomini & Guy Whimper- both moderate level OT's that were marginal starting options for their teams. Giacomini got 2 years $6m while Whimper got 2 years $5m. Chadman believes Starks sit's slightly higher than both of these guys & will be valued accordingly. That said, there has been no real market for Max every year he has been a FA.

Chadman estimate- 3 years $8-$10m
That covers the main Steeler FA's. The rest should not generate that much FA interest- certainly not enough to cause the Steelers to scramble & sign them anyway.

Chances of keeping most of the FA's is very slim. Even if they WANT to keep Lewis, chances are the market will make this an enormous challenge. The Steelers might actually be better off targetting keeping Foote & Starks, given the cap situation.